Social Psychology Research

Abstract Introduction: The concept of belonging is a fundamental aspect of human relatedness theory, which posits that feeling connected to others is a core psychological need. The Sense of Belonging Instrument (SOBI) has been developed to measure this construct among college students, a population for whom belonging can significantly impact academic and social success. This study aims to validate the SOBI within the framework of human relatedness theory. Method: In a descriptive-correlational and validation study, 200 participants from higher education institutions in Mashhad were randomly selected through a multistage sampling method. They completed the Sense of Belonging Instrument (Hagerty & Patusky, 1995), Need to Belong Scale (Kelly, 1999), Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (Ditommaso, Brannen, & Best, 2004), Young Schema Questionnaire - Short Form (Waller, Meyer, & Ohanian, 2001), Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (Lovibond, & Lovibond, 1995), the Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2002), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, correlation coefficient, multiple regression, and multivariate analysis of variance. Results: Findings revealed that the sense of belonging instrument has a two-factor structure accounting for 71.72% of the variance. The negative and significant correlation of the sense of belonging instrument with the need to belong, the feeling of social loneliness, and the schema of social isolation, supported divergent validity (P<0.01). Furthermore, predictive validity analyses demonstrated that the SOBI's dimensions are inversely associated with depression and psychological distress, while positively associated with life satisfaction (P<0.01). No marked differences were noted concerning age and gender. Conclusion: The SOBI demonstrated robust validity and reliability within this study, endorsing its utility as a productive instrument to measure the sense of belonging in students